The local community goes apple crazy in support of the Rocquette Cider apple swap.

Local cider maker, Rocquette, has completed the annual apple swap drive and is delighted to report its most successful year yet. The apple swap encouraged local apple tree owners to support the local brand and boost its harvest through the exchange of their crops for either cash or cider. Despite the rainy summer and slim pickings on the apple trees, the community rallied behind the local brand with three times as many people getting involved as last year.

Managing Director James Meller Stated “We’ve been delighted with the turn out from the local community over the past six weekends. People really got behind the apple drive and we managed to generate more than eight tonnes, which, combined with our own orchard harvest and the bumper crop last year has set us up well for the cider making season, despite the inclement summer.

We are passionate about the local roots of our cider and believe that community involvement protects our product from the impact of the weather and means that apples don’t go to waste. We knew that we were unlikely to achieve the same volumes as last year because the apples simply didn’t grow in size or number, but so many more members of the community turned out to help us that we almost matched last years’ strong harvest. We started 2012 with plentiful stocks and the increase in community involvement and our on-going tree planting programme means that we will soon be looking to expand in to new markets to really get Guernsey Cider on the map.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all of the local people who got involved in the apple swap this year. We’ll be holding a Wassail party (an ancient Viking ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest) early next year and would welcome community involvement once again.”